With students heading back to class you just know it’s mac ‘n cheese season

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It’s beloved, if not delicious, Canadian institution that has fed millions of people, followed just as many through school and university and, yes, has even been immortalized in song.

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We’re talking KD – Kraft Dinner – an icon of Canada’s food landscape, with millions of boxes sold yearly.

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It wouldn’t be a true university campus dorm experience without a couple of boxes on the shelves.

There’s even a special day set aside for this dish – National Mac and Cheese Day every July 14.

This little blue and yellow box has deep Canadian roots, an invention of Ontario native James Lewis Kraft, back in 1916. Research shows Canadians consume 55% more than their American counterparts, and everyone has their own riff with a box as the key ingredient in many a recipe.

Who loves KD the most? Well, it all depends on where you live in Canada, according to a new survey from Time to Play (time2play.com/ca), which recently scoured the country to see who’s the big KD fan – and who isn’t.

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Turns out tiny Prince Edward Island loves its KD the most, noshing on an average of four boxes per month, while Saskatchewan the least, coming in at only 2.53 boxes.

The rest of the provinces are in the middle, while the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and Yukon not registering at all.

That said, is the love dimming for this dish? According to Time to Play’s spokesperson, Rhiannon O’Donohoe, “Canada as a country consumes about 3.15 boxes a month – which is less than it did 10 years ago,” she noted in a recent blog post.

“We asked our respondents a series of questions to learn more about their KD purchase and consumption habits. Of the 74.7% that have purchased KD in the past year, a majority (59.1%) of them consumed KD sporadically, 29.1% only ate KD a few times a month, while 11.5% of our respondents had KD on a weekly basis,” wrote O’Donohoe, adding “some of our die-hard KD respondents said they consumed KD daily, (and) while some households spend a few bucks on KD per month, others are willing to pay up to $50 per month on KD.”

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In total, the average Canadian household spends about $7.26 a month on KD.

Some of the reasons people may be easing up on their KD fix? Everything from certain dietary restrictions – such as lactose intolerance and gluten issues – to those who live a vegan lifestyle to those who just don’t like their cheese in a powder format.

That said, Canadians still love to dig into a bowl of KD noodles – According to The Daily Hive (dailyhive.com), seven million boxes of KD are sold every week globally – and of those, 1.7 million are sold in Canada. That’s around three boxes for every man, woman and child.

Bowls across the land

Here’s a breakdown of which provinces love their KD most, to the least*

Prince Edward Island: 4.0 boxes

Alberta: 3.47 boxes

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Quebec: 3.12 boxes

Manitoba: 3.04 boxes

Nova Scotia: 3.0 boxes

Ontario: 2.98 boxes

New Brunswick: 2.66 boxes

Saskatchewan: 2.53 boxes

*The average amount of boxes Canadian households consume per month, as per Time to Play.

DID YOU KNOW

According to company officials, KD became the dish of choice – for breakfast – during the height of the pandemic.

With more people eating at home and looking for shelf-stable options, Heinz-Kraft reported increases in sales throughout 2020. The company even added “breakfast” to its packaging, adding that “56% of parents have served their kids Mac & Cheese for breakfast more often during Covid-19 related state lockdowns than previous months,” as per the a company media release.

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 –Kraft Heinz

Over 50 million boxes were sold during the Second World War

 – Daily Hive

The first-known recipe for mac and cheese was written down in 1769.

 – Smithsonian Magazine

Besides the iconic elbow noodle shape, the brand’s top-selling noodle at one point was the SpongeBob SquarePants variety.

 – insider.com

Tasty Tomato Mac and Cheese

No need for ketchup in this recipe – tomato flavour is cooked right in! Serves 4. Recipe courtesy Tre Stelle Cheese; trestelle.ca.

1 lb. macaroni or other short pasta

1 Tbsp. butter

2 cloves, minced

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 1/2 cups milk

2 Tbsp. flour

1/4 cup tomato paste

1/2 tsp. dried oregano or 1 Tbsp. fresh oregano

2 Tbsp. fresh parsley

12 oz. Cheddar cheese, grated

Salt/freshly ground pepper

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In a large quantity of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions but cook for 1 minute less. Drain in a colander. In a saucepan used to cook pasta, melt butter and saute garlic and onion for 2 minutes. Mix milk and flour and pour into saucepan. Stir using a whisk and let simmer until mixture thickens. Add tomato paste, oregano and parsley. Gradually incorporate grated Cheddar and season. Add pasta, stir with a large spoon, reheat, and serve at once.

TIPS: You can add a variety of vegetables to this dish, included blanched broccoli and diced roasted chicken – incorporate into cream mixture before adding pasta.

Mac & Cheese Pizza

A riff on a favourite standard meal – pizza! Serves 6. Recipe courtesy Dairy Farmers of Canada  www.dairyfarmersofcanada.ca.

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1 pkg (375 g) macaroni

1 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups milk

3 cups shredded mozzarella

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup pizza sauce

4 oz. sliced cooked ham cut into large strips

1 cup (mushrooms sliced

1/2 cup bell pepper your choice, cut into strips

Preheat oven at 425ºF. In a large quantity of salted boiling water, cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain in a colander.

In a large ovenproof skillet, melt butter and add flour. Whisk together to create a roux (paste). Add milk while stirring with whisk. Let simmer until thickened. Gradually mix in 2 cups of cheese to give it time to melt. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooked macaroni, stir and warm up. Evenly spread out in skillet.

Top with pizza sauce, ham, mushrooms, peppers and the remaining cheese. Bake in oven for 15 minutes, then broil for another 3 to 5 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing pizza.